Street vendors on Mission Street in San Francisco have been around for years. But a recent surge in violence, including reports of attacks on city crews, has prompted City Hall to impose a 90-day moratorium on all street stands there.
Mission Street has had a reputation for free-wheeling street sales for years, but recently a string of homicides nearby has pushed city leaders to crack down on all vendors in the area.
"There's a lot of chaos out there, said Santiago Lerma, aid to Supervisor Hilary Ronen. "A lot of violence and danger, folks coming in from all across the Bay Area selling stolen goods."
Rodrigo Lopez, who runs a permitted stand on Mission Street, said he was attacked a couple months ago.
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"They bring all the violence, crime, and drugs," Lopez said of illegal street vendors.
Vendors who talked to NBC Bay Area on Tuesday acknowledged there has been some violence on Mission Street over the last few months. They said it is mostly associated with unpermitted vendors. But they say the city has not been very communicative about this coming moratorium.
"The city does not say anything to us. Nothin clear," Lopez said.
The 90-day moratorium on street vending on Mission Street has been pushed back until the middle of November after it was initially set to start on Nov. 1
Lerma said vendors will be moved to sanctioned lots in the neighborhood and will be allowed to continue their sales there.
Meanwhile, unpermitted vendor Estela Estrella said she knows she purchases stolen items from local stores and resells them on Mission Street, but points out she is desperate to make money for rent and food. She is unsure on her next move and is worried when the moratorium kicks off.
The moratorium comes as the city's Department of Public Health cracks down on unpermitted food stands across the San Francisco. Both efforts are not directly linked to the coming APEC Summit, but the timing of both crackdowns do line up with the massive international event next month.
